CALGARY – You might find traffic congestion in Calgary frustrating, but a new study suggests the gridlock we see on Calgary roads isn’t nearly as bad as in several other Canadian cities.
Vancouver remains the most congested city in Canada, according to navigation and mapping company TomTom.
They published their annual global traffic index on Tuesday, which takes into account both local roads and highways.
It found that in Vancouver, the average person experiences 87 hours of delay time a year, based on a 30 minute commute daily.
That’s compared to Calgary, where the average person experiences 71 hours of delay time a year, based on a 30 minute commute.
Compared to all cities in North America listed in the report, Calgary placed 18th out of 63.
The top seven most congested cities in Canada, as ranked by overall congestion level in 2013:
- Vancouver
- Toronto
- Ottawa
- Montreal
- Calgary
- Quebec
- Edmonton
The report also revealed that the traffic shortcuts drivers take to avoid congestion actually add 50 per cent more travel time to journeys.
Their date suggests traffic congestion on secondary roads is worse than main roads, and commuters around the world are spending an average of eight working days a year stuck in traffic.
“Traffic congestion is nothing new, and continues to be a global challenge,” says said Harold Goddijn, CEO of TomTom. “The traditional responses to congestion, such as building new roads or widening existing ones are no longer proving to be effective.”
BELOW: A look at traffic congestion statistics from across Canada
To see the traffic index reports, go to www.tomtom.com/trafficindex
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